Avengers: Assemble
by fanficgurl57
Summary: Sometimes it's not the superheroes themselves that are in danger, but the people they love. Thanos wants revenge. Revenge on the superheroes for delaying his conquest and revenge on the place they live. Seems like Earth's mightiest heroes have another long day ahead... Set after the Avengers movie.


Okay here's the drill. This is the one and only time I will say this.

I do **not **(Emphasis on "not") own the avengers, or any of the characters, villains, or mechanical robots with sass. In fact, I don't even own this site. The only thing I own are my ideas which I hope you'll enjoy reading!

This is my first Avengers fanfic. I am completely obsessed with the movie and just Iron Man in general.

Enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't everyday Tony Stark was at a loss for words.

In fact, he didn't think that he ever _had _been at a loss for words.

But now it was different - now he couldn't even begin to think of how to say what needed to be said - how to tell Pepper - no, how to ask her... well really see if she would consider... Oh, for God's sake! Tony shook his head, trying to clear it. He was Tony Freaking Stark, self-proclaimed genius, playboy, philanthropist and hero. One of the most notable things about him (Or so Vanity Fair claimed) was that he always had something to say, whether it was a quick quip or a sarcastic comment. For him to be at a loss for words... it was like saying the sky was green - or that Jarvis had a robot girlfriend.

Getting Jarvis a robot girlfriend. Hmmm. That might be a project worth his interest.

_Focus, Tony, focus, _he thought to himself, and shook his head to clear it again, while storing the robot-girlfriend idea in the back of his mind for a more suitable time.

But speaking of Jarvis, maybe he could help -

No, Tony realized, that would be cheating. And if one thing about him had changed since becoming a part of the Avengers, it was that he refused to cheat.

He shrugged. What could he say? Captain America was a bad influence on him.

_At one time you wouldn't have thought twice about having Jarvis help. Hell, you wouldn't have thought twice about having Jarvis write the whole speech, _a little annoying voice whispered in his head.

But not now.

And not for Pepper.

Never for Pepper.

Whatever he was going to do, however he was going to tell Pepper, it was going to come from his heart, with no help from any of his inventions, especially Jarvis.

He frowned. He didn't miss the irony in how Jarvis could come up with a perfect speech, and yet he, the person who created him, was drawing a blank.

It sucked to be brilliant, sometimes.

Yawning, Tony leaned back in his swivel chair and kicked his feet up on the desk, sending important papers flying everywhere. At that moment, he could care less - Dummy would clean it up, or his new assistant, Michelle. Right then he was too tired to think. Honestly, he needed a coffee.

To be specific, he needed a Venti Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks, with extra whipped cream and twice the caffine. The way Pepper had always ordered it for him. Tony blamed her for his addiction.

But right then Pepper was on a plane headed back to New York, cominghome from an Affordable Energy meeting (In South Africa of all places!) and he had sent Michelle home last night because he was tired of her hovering like a moth around him. She had been persistently asking if there was anything she could get him. He hadn't missed the hidden implication of her words. Rolling his eyes, Tony idly wondered why it so hard to get a good assistant these days.

_You're stalling. Just ask her!_

He sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair, giving the computer screen in front of him a dark, brooding look. To bad it just wasn't that easy.

_What?! Are you afraid? _Tony snorted. He was never afraid. But then again he'd never asked someone, especially Pepper, to marry him before. To be honest, he wasn't afraid, merely... anxious about being rejected.

Who was he kidding? He was afraid. Afraid of being rejected. Afraid of being laughed at. Afraid for his reputation. But mostly afraid about what would happen if he didn't ask Pepper and she found someone else in her life.

He slumped further into his chair, taking a deep breath and savoring the scent of leather. It's aroma always reminded him of his father, making him feel like a child again. He frowned. That must be why he hated it so much.

He was sitting there internally debating what to do, when the question occurred to him. He sat up straight, stretching his arms and back, then opened his mouth.

"Jarvis, you there?"

"Of course, sir. But I was under the impression that you did not want my help on this matter, sir."

If robots could make a comment sound smug and sarcastic, Tony was sure Jarvis just had. He glared at the ceiling. "I don't want your help. I just wanted to check in on Pepper's ETA."

"Right now she is over the Atlantic Ocean. She will be arriving in three hours, sir. 8 AM Eastern time. The party is scheduled to start at 6 PM, sir."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek as his mind raced. He needed help, and more time. He needed a distraction. A grin split his face. That's what best friends were for weren't they? Plus, this friend owed Tony big time.

"Send Rhodey a message to delay Pepper as long as he can... And send her flowers. Roses - red ones, two dozen of them. With a card."

"Would you like a card with that sir?"

"Yes. It should say... -" Distracted, he tried to think of something. "Just something generic. Thinking of you or I love you or whatever." He said, finally making up his mind. The smile was only getting wider as ideas popped into his head.

"How should Rhodey delay her, sir?"

Showing the first spark of energy and intuition in hours, Tony stood up and started pacing, his eyes lighting up. The computer screens woke up as he passed, showing different projects and blueprints on each.

"Tell Rhodey to take her shoe shopping. At Prada, or Gucci, someplace exceedingly expensive that she would never normally go to, because she doesn't want to waste money. Someplace she'd protest going to with me."

"And if he says no, sir?"

Tony snorted. "Tell him he owes me. Big time." He grabbed his phone and tablet from a side table, jumped into his swivel chair and wheeled freestyle over to his main computer, typing furiously on his phone as he went.

"Tiffany and Co. Jewelry. Specify rings, Engagement. Diamond, any carat. " Tony muttered, knowing that Pepper would hate something extravagant and flashy. Pictures of available rings popped up on the main screen and Tony hastily scrolled through them all.

_It doesn't matter what you give her if you don't say anything with it. _The voice reminded him sarcastically. Craning his neck back to the other computer, he regarded it silently, as if sizing it up. "Jarvis, delete the first draft of my...er..."

"Proposal, sir?"

He waved his hand and replied without paying attention. "Yes, that." Then he turned his head and observed the mess that was his workroom. " And call Melissa -"

"Michelle, sir"

"That's what I said. Tell her to clean the workroom." He waved his hand at all the screens, hastily turning them off, a half-formed plot forming in his mind. "Also, get in touch with Dr. Banner, and Natasha Romanoff, tell them to come over ASAP... I'm going to need their help with this. They are coming to the party aren't they?" He said spinning around on his heel.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I'm going to go take a shower, tell me when you've contacted them."

Tony didn't wait for a reply before rushing out of the workroom and into his bathroom, stripping off his flannel pajamas as he went (A Christmas gift from Pepper). He bundled them up, threw them in a dark corner where they wouldn't be missed, then stepped into the steaming shower.

The warm water felt amazing against his skin, steaming against the Arc Reactor in his chest, and the gentle patter drowned out the sounds of the 'bots working. Tony felt it calm and clear his mind as he -

"TONY!"

The voice blared through the peacefulness, making Tony jump. He hastily turned off the water and snuck a glance at the projected screen on the bathroom wall, where the one and only Dr. Bruce Banner was looking very tired, and very, very pissed off.

"Good morning to you too, Bruce!" Tony said with a smirk. "You might want to make yourself a cup of coffee, you look completely exhausted."

Bruce's eyes narrowed and he glared at Tony with fury.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "It's five A.M., Stark. What the hell." He pronounced each word slowly.

_Probably trying not to lose his temper and go Hulk. _Tony guessed.

"It's 5:42 actually. But then again, what's 42 minutes in the city that never sleeps. Anyway, I need your help" He replied, trying to sound completely nonchalant.

"I'll certainly help you. Help you get a black eye that is."

"Ooh." Tony winced. "I'd prefer that you didn't. I need this face. Plus, it's really too good looking to get rid of."

"And I'd prefer that you wouldn't wake me up at 5:42." He said sarcastically.

"5:45 now."

"Tony..." Bruce growled.

"Okay, okay," Tony put his palms up in a calming gesture. "Chill. Sorry. But I really do need you help. How fast can you be over here?" Tony asked suddenly serious.

Bruce noticed the difference immediately. "Ten minutes. And I swear, if this is some sort of prank, I will personally kick your ass all the way to Asgard."

"Then it's a good thing that this isn't a joke." Tony grabbed at the soap behind him, preparing to get back to the warm water.

"Also-

"Mmhmm?"

"Next time, don't call me when you're in the shower." With a last smirk, the Doctor was gone.

* * *

That was extraordinarily fun to write. Just a quick question, were there any mistakes? Sometimes my spell-check doesn't catch them. Grr...

Please tell me what you think!

Your humble Fanfiction Avenger,

-FF


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